Aftershocks
by Mystrothedefender
Summary: What will happen now that Bruce knows the Jokers past? .Please read A Diary Of A Lifetime before reading this.
1. Discovery

"He thinks I pushed him?" Bruce looked up at Alfred. "That's what he thinks? I didn't push him! He tripped, I tried to catch him but he fell."

Alfred shook his head, "hard to believe sir, if just one of those things hadn't happened, we wouldn't have the Joker causing havoc in our streets."

Bruce flicked idly through the pages of the diary, reading odd sentences. "He's bisexual? I never would have guessed, he always seemed very… well, _nothing_, you know?"

Alfred smirked at the opportunity to show that he knew more than his employer, "well sir, he obviously was very in love with this Jeannie woman, maybe he still is?"

Bruce grunted and continued reading, "Finally we have his back story, the real one. Not one he came up with off the top of his head. It says here that the church they got married in was 'the one in the centre of town' he must mean St Georges. I'll go down there in the morning and see if I can find any records. I'll see if I can find the apartment fire report, and Jeannie's hospital records if I can. Do a search for 'Jack Napier."

Alfred took the diary from Bruce, and started flicking through it himself, "sounds like a good idea sir. This poor man… I wonder what happened to his brother? Maybe you could find him?"

Bruce nodded, grunting that it would be a good idea. He started typing hurriedly into the computer, he seemed to be getting quite exited that he may be able to find out who the Joker really was.

/

Joker was asleep, sprawled over the bed.

Harley was sitting on the little armchair in the corner, reading her new favourite book.

She looked over at her Mr J and smiled as she heard him start to stir. He mumbled in his sleep.

The same things as normal: cheese, Batman, Jeannie. He always went on about that woman. But he refused to talk about her.

Whenever she asked he would freak out and get all violent. She chuckled and went back to reading her book.

She woke to find herself covered in clothes, "what the heck? Mr J, sir? What are you doing?"

Joker was upturning the room, clothes everywhere, bed messed up. "Where's my wallet?" Joker snapped, "I don't know sir." Harley flinched.

Joker's body suddenly softened, "oh thank god… it's here. I found it."

He opened the wallet and a small smile appeared on his face, it disappeared after a few seconds, he located his trousers and pulled them on, shoving the wallet into the back pocket as he did.

"Why do you always get so upset when you can't find your wallet? … If you don't mind me asking."

Joker shrugged, "All my money's in there. Obviously." He laughed, looking over at Harley, "yeah, but Mr J, you don't care _that much _about your money."

Joker frowned, large lines appearing on his face, "shut up and make me some food."

Harley rushed into the kitchen, trying to quell her curiosity with this menial task.

/

Bruce leant back on his chair, a large grin on his face. "Alfred! I've found it." He yelled as the man walked down the stairs, holding a mug of hot tea.

"What would 'it' be?"

Bruce ran his hands through his hair, "'it' would be everything. Birth certificate, adoption papers, newspaper articles, marriage certificate… and death certificate." Alfred turned his head, "death certificate? For Jack or Jeannie?"

"Both, Jeannie in the fire, and Jack was missing assumed dead. Nothing about the baby though."

Alfred picked up the diary, flicking to the last page, "but Jack says the baby died too."

Bruce shook his head, "I mean I can't find anything about the baby, hospital records… Nothing."

Alfred shrugged, "maybe they deleted the records when the baby died?"

Bruce grunted, it was not something they would normally do. "I've even found out about Jacks brother, Nathan. He had his last name changed to Maize, he is a rather successful psychiatrist in England. Got a few books out. Bestseller is about how to cope with childhood trauma… 'Suppose he's had a lot of experience with that… But I don't really think it'd do much good to tell him about the Joker, we all know what he's like with psychiatrists."

Alfred frowned in disagreement, "no psychiatrist has known the Jokers childhood before, he does, and in fact he was there."

Bruce leaned forward, and started typing into the computer, "good point, I'll see if I can get him to come to that convention that's on in a couple of weeks. I'll be able to talk to him there."

Alfred chuckled, "you should read his book on childhood trauma, give you a topic of conversation."

/

_That dream, the same dream as always. _

_Every night._

_Every night he watched that pretty blond woman sleep next to him._

_Every night he looked down and smiled at the woman's bloated, pregnant stomach._

_Every night he placed his hand on the lump, and whispered "My two angels…"_

_Every night he would get out of the bed, then scream as a giant bat flew at him, knocking him backwards._

Every morning he would wake up, short of breath and drenched in sweat.

That morning he raised his head to see Harley holding his wallet.

"Harley! What are you doing? Put that back! NOW!" he screamed at her, voice filled with anger.

Harley, looking shocked and scared, threw the wallet back on top on Jokers trousers, and backed into the corner of the room.

Joker sprung up, advancing on her, "how dare you go through my things, after all this time I'd have thought you would have leant that!"

He raised his hand as if to strike her, then let it drop to his side.

He looked at his hand and sighed, before giving Harley a playful tap on the shoulder.

An indication he was in a good mood.

Joker walked across the room and sat on the armchair in the corner.

"… Why's there a sonogram picture in there…?" Harley whispered, unable to stop herself from asking.

He didn't answer; just stared at the floor, face expressionless.

"… Mr J…?"

He suddenly looked up at her, "I dunno, just is."

Harley stepped a little closer to the madman.

"Then why have it…?"

Joker shrugged, "makes me happy, when I look at it."

The girl smiled, "that's the same reason I have my little monkey key ring."

Joker looked up at her, disapprovingly.

She continued talking.

"We all need something to give us a smile, I'd never expected yours to be a baby picture though. I'd expect it to be a joke toy or a Batman doll with no head, not a baby picture."

Joker chuckled, "it's not mine."

Harley giggled, "I guessed that. You'd not make a good father, I used to think you would, but nah."

Joker smiled at her, slightly angered by the comment.

"You can't say that."

She huffed, "it's true."

Suddenly Joker was standing, screaming in Harleys face, "Don't say that! Don't ever fucking say that!"

He pushed her hard into the wall and stormed out.

Leaving Harley shaken and confused.


	2. Typical Capture

Joker opened his wallet; he had grabbed it along with his clothes when he walked out of the small abandoned house he and Harley had shared.

He removed the small photo from its plastic casing, and held it, he wanted to tear it up, but he couldn't bring himself to.

"Why do I have this damned thing…?" he asked the darkness.

He placed the photo back in the wallet, and sank to the floor, head in his hands.

He wanted to know what his dream meant, he knew it had something to do with that photo.

But that was just a dream, it wasn't real, how could the two things be linked.

Was it just a dream? It seemed so realistic, so vivid.

Joker shook his head and laughed; who knew, certainly not him, there was no point in thinking about it. He'd gone over it a thousand times in his head, asking himself who that woman was, he thought he knew her.

Like someone you see everyday when going to work, but don't _know_.

Every time he tried to focus on her face, he'd suddenly get a harsh sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach, it would bring him almost to the brink of tears.

He shook his head and laughed again, trying to rid his head of questions and emotions.

_Now then_, he thought to himself, _where am I going to go now…?_ He couldn't really go back to Harley, he wanted to leave her feeling bad for a bit, so where could he go?

/

"The Joker's been spotted sir, the abandoned warehouse by the dock, again."

Alfred looked down at the man who lay half asleep in the bed.

"What? Damn it… Ok, I'll just be a minute."

Bruce rolled out of bed, yawning and stretching. Still in his pyjamas he walked down to the Batcave, followed by Alfred.

"What are you going to do with him now? He's not done anything yet."

Bruce chuckled, "sounds like you're going soft on him Alfred, now you know his past."

Alfred groaned, "it's hard not to sir, now we know how he came to be, I can't help but feel that we should_ try _to help."

Bruce nodded, "well we can, at least try, but we can't yet, we'll have to wait for his brother to come so we can have him help, we need someone who knows what he's doing."

"Have we heard anything from Mr Maize yet?"

Bruce nodded and smiled happily, as he opened the e-mail he had received from Nathan, he gestured for Alfred to read it.

_Thank you for your invitation to the famed Gotham annual convention, I'm pleased to tell you that I will be attending._

"That's next week. But what are we going to do with the Joker for a whole week? Do you think we'd be able to keep him here?"

Alfred looked hesitant, his eye's moved around the room, "I suppose I may be able to make the area secure, make the temporary jail a little more 'Joker proof' and a little more homey."

Bruce nodded as he started to gather up his Batman suit, and the equipment he thought he might need.

"Just make sure there are no sharp objects, or anything that can be made into a sharp object."

Alfred nodded, smiling.

/

Joker sat on the small makeshift bed he had created and smiled to himself, he loved this were-house, it was the first place he had met Batman, the first time they had fought, and the first time he had won.

He replayed the scene in his head. He'd been on form that night; he'd been in great shape back then…

He looked down at his slight frame and sighed, where had all his muscles gone? He used to have at least a four-pack. He supposed the lack of sleep, food and lack of exercise he got in Arkham might have been the cause of his weight and muscle loss.

At his peak, if you could call it that, he could do 400 sit-ups in one go, he looked around, wondering how many he could do now.

He located an easy step block that he could use to anchor his feet and started tolling up sit-ups.

199… 200… 201… He collapsed back onto his bed, "Holy crap…" he panted.

"I really am out of shape…"

At least now, he thought, it might be easier for him to sleep.

He rolled over to face the wall, and pulled a scrap of blanket over himself.

A growl came from the silence "That's no way for a good man to rest."

Jokers eyes narrowed, annoyed, "I'm not much of a good man though am I?"

He rolled back over to see the large figure of Batman standing over him.

"Can we not do this now though, I'm tired, did you not see how many sit-ups I just did."

Batman leant over him, and Joker groaned as he felt the bat-cuffs clamp round his wrists.

Batman pulled Joker onto his feet, then felt a force hit the back of his head.

A false hand? Really?

Joker laughed and started jogging towards the exit of the were-house, almost begging Batman to chase him.

How he loved his fights with Batman, he had long come to the conclusion that he could never kill him, but it amused him that Batman still thought he could 'bring the Joker to justice' or even 'fix' him.

Suddenly Joker felt several sharp pains, first in his leg, then his back, then his shoulder.

He turned to see what it was that had hit him, but as he did, he felt his legs give way, and saw himself fall to the floor, and everything went black.

/

Bruce stopped the bat-mobile, and clambered out, he was happy to see that the small holding cell had been reinforced - he checked and double checked for weak points but found none – and the cell now held a small foam bed.

He lifted the Joker out of the car; he was still unconscious, good.

He typed in the entrance code to the cell, and placed Joker on the bed, then removed all of the mans clothes, he wanted to make sure that there was no chance of him having anything on him he could use to break out.

After undressing him Bruce covered him in a blanket that Alfred had brought down.

He closed the door, making sure it was secure, and locked it; it was an electric code lock, the number pad for which was on the wall opposite the jail.

He pulled up a chair at sat, watching the poor man sleep.

He had to help him. He just had to.

He located Jack's diary, and started to read it over again.

He heard Joker stir, he moaned.

"I feel bad…" he muttered.

Batman nodded, "I'd be surprised if you didn't. You took enough to take down a zebra."

Joker giggled, "…Where am I Bats?"

"My home. Welcome."

Joker laughed, "You live in a cave? Figures... Why've you brought me here?"

Batman smiled, "because I know something." He held up the diary, "recognise this."

Joker shook his head slowly, "No… Why, should I? Is it the diary of a little girl I once killed or something stupid like that?"

Batman chuckled, "No, it's yours."

Joker stood up, then looked down at his near naked body, and sighed, "you're a bloody pervert you know that?" He shook his head, "What do you mean it's mine? I don't keep a diary, I'm not a queer."

Batman chuckled again; he couldn't help but get some satisfaction out of that.

He flicked through the diary, "how about I read you some. Ah, this bits good. '_Boom, he's crazy in so many ways, to the extent of him eating metal… I'm not exactly sane but I'm not that mad!'_ that made me laugh."

Joker shook his head, "that's not me, I never wrote that."

"Uh-huh, how about this; '_Jona, by the way, was just a one-night kind of thing; I was too 'fragile' for him._'"

The madman chewed his lip, "that name sounds familiar."

Batman smiled and nodded, "you say in here that he was your friend."

Joker scoffed, and shrugged, "whatever, let me out of here, I'm bored of this, and I'm cold."

Batman lifted himself from his chair, "I'm sorry Joker; I can't let you go, I have a rare opportunity to help you, and-"

Joker started rattling the bars of the cell, and screaming defiantly and mockingly.

Batman continued, speaking over the racket.

"I CAN'T LET YOU LEAVE UNTILL I'VE ATLEAST TRIED TO HELP."

Joker continued making as much noise as he could, Batman sat on his chair, waiting for him to quieten down.


	3. Breakthrough

Batman sat on the chair, Joker on the bed.

He had been silent for only a few minutes, "so then. Are you going to behave, Joker?"

Joker moaned, "Fine! I'll play along… For now anyway…"

"Good, now, I can't do all that much with you at the moment, I can only chip away at the shell. This is a small warning; I've got a man coming over-"

Joker laughed, "You showing me off to your boyfriend are you?"

Batman sighed and rubbed his brow, "he's coming to help you."

The clown laughed louder, "a psychiatrist? Haven't you learned that they don't work on me? You're an idiot."

Bruce chuckled, "no, no, this guy's good. Name's Nathan."

Joker lay back on the bed, giggling, "well, if you think he's good then he must be…"

/

"Wanna hear a joke?"

"Ok."

"You!"

Joker fell about laughing. Bruce watched him intently, he flicked through Jack's diary. "You know, you used to be called Jack."

Joker picked at his fingernails, "really, that's interesting…" He let out a fake yawn, "that's an interesting name. Not common at all, now tell me, whose arse did you pull that out of?"

Bruce smiled briefly, "it's true, do you want to read it? I've got copies on cloth-paper." There was no way he could turn that into a weapon, but Bruce wasn't stupid enough to say that out loud, he knew that it would be taken as a challenge. He picked up the copy and handed it through the bars. Joker held the paper in his hand, staring at it but not reading. "Seriously Batsy?" Joker sighed and stretched. "Batman, this is all a bit much for me to believe, it seems a little farfetched." He rolled his eyes, "Fine! I'll read the god-damn thing…"

Batman smiled. He had a feeling it would be a fun week.

He watched as Joker read the pieces of paper, every now and then he would smile, or frown. He read in silence until he got to the 15th page. He mumbled to himself, "blond with blue eyes, that's her, her names Jeannie?"

"Yeah, do you remember her?"

Joker gave a non-committal grunt in response. Batman sighed, "Joker… Jack. You need to tell me." Joker stared down at the piece of paper, blinked rapidly, and started silently reading again.

Joker couldn't believe this, this was the woman in his dream, he continued reading, he was married to her. He had friends. He had a family. She was pregnant.

He looked up at Batman, tears in his eyes, "I was going to be a father, I was going to have a son." He inhaled sharply, then laughed and continued reading. Wiping his eyes, he slowly stood up, "where's my wallet?"

Batman picked the wallet from Jokers trousers, "what do you want from it?"

"BATMAN! GIVE ME MY WALLET!"

Batman held up a hand, "ok, ok, calm down." He passed him the wallet.

Joker quickly opened it, and slowly, carefully took out the small photo. He held it up for Batman to see, "that's my baby? Is it the one in the diary?" Batman looked at the picture, "yes, it is, you still have the photo?"

Joker ran his fingers through his hair, "yeah, it… always made me happy." He stared at the photo and started pacing the small cell.

"It should do, that was your son."

"What happened to them?"

Batman sighed and shook his head, "I'm not going to give you the last page yet, I want to wait until Nathan's had a chance to talk to you."

Joker's jaw dropped, "is that the same Nathan as in this?" Batman nodded. "Yeah, he became a psychologist, he actually did something with his life, but then I doubt he had as much of a rough life as you."

Joker chuckled, "things haven't exactly gotten easier…"

Batman chuckled back, "yeah same here."

"Say Bats, I'm getting hungry, any chance of getting a sandwich or something?"

"Sure." Batman smiled.

/

"So you think things are going well?" asked Alfred. Bruce shrugged, taking off his helmet, "god,  
I don't know, I think I'm making progress, he seems to remember some bits, but I dunno… He's doing quite well, I thought he deserved a break… How long does it take to make cheese on toast? I don't want to leave him for too long."

Alfred smiled, "I'll make it and bring it down sir, don't worry I'll wear a disguise."

Bruce smiled and got up, ready to walk down stairs, Alfred followed a few minutes after.

/

Alfred stood beside Batman, Alfred had dressed himself in one of Bruce's old biker jackets, along with a bandanna to hide his face. "So this is the Jack in the diary?" Alfred said in his best American accent, which honestly wasn't very good.

Hearing this accent Joker burst out laughing, "goddamn, English, who are you trying to fool?"

He choked, trying to stop laughing, "is that sandwich for me?" Alfred nodded and handed him the sandwich.

"Thank you. Yeah, I'm apparently 'the Jack' from the diary, are you Nathan?" Alfred shook his head.

Joker growled angrily, then took a bite from the sandwich, "Batman, I didn't agree to this, I'm not some freak in a cage at the circus, there to be gawked at, I agreed to this because I think it's funny that you think you can fix me, but turned out you where actually on to something. If you keep bringing more people into this then I'm out of here."

Batman shook his head, speaking as calmly as he could, "Joker calm down, he's a trusted friend, he won't do anything to harm you. I promise, no one but him, me and Nathan will come down here. I can ask Batgirl and Robin not to come in if you want, ok?"

Joker crossed his arms, "I don't want them in here. Or him." He pointed at Alfred.

Batman looked over at Alfred, "We better do as he says, if I've got any hope of helping him. Can you go upstairs? I'll come up to get dinner when it's ready."

Alfred nodded and walked out of the room.

"Let's get this straight, as long as I'm trapped in this stupid cage, I don't talk to anyone but you, no one sees me like this but you. I have an image to uphold. I'm beginning to feel like a caged bear."

Batman walked up to the cell, "Joker, you know I can't let you out, I'll stop the others coming down here but that's about all I can do at the moment. I am on to something here, you remember, don't you? A little bit?"

Joker looked at his feet and nodded, " a bit yeah. Ok, when will stupid Nathan get here?"

"He won't be here till next week. But I swear you'll be well kept until then."

Joker frowned, "next week? You expect me to wait here for a week?" he sighed, "bloody hell…" he sank to the floor.

"I'll stay down here with you till you get settled if you want."

Joker nodded, "…and when you next go out, can you find Harley are tell her that you've kidnapped me? I want her to know I'm in _good hands_… Can't believe I'm gunna be stuck here for a whole fucking week…"

/

Tim sat at the dining room table, "so we're not aloud to go into the Batcave? At all? But he's our prisoner, why are we going by his rules? Am I missing something here…?"

Bruce sighed, "you don't understand, I can 'cure' Joker, think of it, not having him on our streets anymore. But I can only do it if he'll cooperate."

Tim scoffed, "that's shit Bruce. He's our prisoner! He doesn't have a choice." Bruce frowned at the young boy, "don't talk like that. And he may be our prisoner but we still need to treat him with respect. I don't want him to feel like a freak-"

"He is a freak…"

Alfred frowned, "he is a man. He deserves to be treated like one."

Tim laughed, "He does not! Have you forgotten all the horrible things he's done?"

Both the men frowned down at the child, but couldn't think of anything to say, they had both almost forgotten all the crimes he'd committed, they had become caught up with the man he used to be.

"He has done horrible things, but that's in the past, by the time he leaves this place he will regret every one of them."

Tim laughed, "'when he leaves this place' how is he going to cope? He'll have the weight of killing all those people on his shoulders, and he'll have to face all the charges against him, he can't leave here as a free man, he's done too many bad things for him to ever be able to lead a normal life."

"Other people will though. No one else will have to deal with having his or her friends and family being killed needlessly."


	4. Mindgames on both sides

Bruce watched Joker sleep, he had come down early, to check on the clown.

Tim was right, he wouldn't be able to function in normal society, even after he had been proved sane, and all his crimes dismissed for insanity, he couldn't change his identity, he was a white skinned devil, in the most literal sense of the saying. People would always see him as that.

The clown opened his eyes. "Joker?" Batman smiled.

"Oh Batsy darling, how are you this fine morning?" Joker smiled up at Batman. Who only nodded in answer.

"… Not in a talking mood are we?" Joker sounded unimpressed. Batman nodded again.

"Well that's going to make a lot of progress isn't it?" Batman nodded once again.

Joker sat, face pressed against the bars, "you're trying to do that mind thing aren't you? It doesn't work on me." Batman nodded, smiling slightly.

The clown tapped the bars, "Come on, Bats. Don't do this."

Batman smiled, "why not?"

Joker laughed and pointed at the vigilante, "Haha, I got you to talk!"

"I have a question."

Joker smiled widely "What?"

Batman smiled again, but didn't say anything.

"What?"

… Batman still said nothing.

…

"What? What's your question?"

Batman smiled, "guess."

Joker sighed, "I've had this tried on me too, doesn't work either."

"Joker, I thought you said you'd cooperate?"

Joker rolled his eyes.

"Fine. But I don't want to play the questions game."

Batman smiled, "ok, but can I ask you a question?" Joker shrugged, "sure, no more games though, that's my thing not yours."

"Why are you only letting me come down here?"

Joker chuckled, "I already told you, I don't want to feel like a freak, I don't want all your people staring at me when I'm like this."

"Yeah but, why me?"

Joker looked over at him, a smile appeared that seemed to say 'why do you even need to ask?'

"Batsy, we share a connection, you and I, we're the same." He laughed, "I don't know how you don't see it, we both had tragic events cause us to become who we are, we share this wonderful back and forth." He sighed, smiling still. "We're soul mates, we just got off on the wrong foot."

Batman frowned, slightly taken aback, "If I didn't know better, Joker, I'd think that you had some sort of crush on me."

Joker chuckled and shook his head, "I don't _do_ that, I don't do relationships, I don't get crushes. I like you; you're the only constant in my life. Wherever I go you're there. I don't really have anyone else. Jack's life, it's not mine, it just feels like a dream. Something that happened so long ago… But. I don't remember much of it."

He shifted closer and asked in his sweetest voice, "do you remember what happened to you? To make you Batman?"

Batman nodded, looking down at the floor, "my… umm… My parents were shot… Why are you asking? You don't care about that sort of thing."

Joker chuckled, "you might need to talk to this Nathan guy as well."

"Gotham needs to have Batman, it needs to not have Joker."

Joker scoffed, "oh come on Batman, if anything Gotham needs to not have you, _you_ created _me_. Who knows how many others have come about because of you."

"Don't act as if you were innocent before you became Joker, you used to run with the mob, it's things like that I originally set out to stop."

Joker smirked, "but in doing so you accidentally created one of the most notorious criminals ever to exist. And half a dozen others to boot!"

Batman stood up, "I don't have time for this, I can't do anything for you at the moment, and, as you said, there are other criminals out there. I have work to do."

/

Joker stood at the door to the cell, bored out of his mind. He had looked over the cell for weak points several times, but he couldn't find any, or anything he could use to break himself out. He was in a remote corner of the Batcave, and anything that he could use to break himself out was out of his reach.

"Batman!"

"Batman! I'm bored! I know you can hear me, I can see the cameras! I know your watching!"

Robins voice echoed through the intercom speaker, "He's not in Joker, he's at a party."

Joker growled, "a party? I'm stuck in here, bored, and he's at a party? And why are you watching me? You couldn't handle me if I got out."

Joker heard a small chuckle come from the speaker "but your not going to get out are you? I've seen you trying to. You can't."

Joker's eyes narrowed, what a little twat.

"Do you know what I did to your predecessor? Because the same thing will happen to you if you're not careful."

"What? What are you talking about? Nightwing's fine."

Joker chuckled, "Nightwing? No not Nightwing, the other one! Has Batsy not told you? Hahahah! Well I shouldn't really rob him of the honour of telling you… Oh no I can't tell."

Joker laughed loudly, shaking his head in disbelief, "I can't believe he's not told you! It's one of my greatest accomplishments!"

Robin's voice crackled through the speaker, he seemed both confused and annoyed.

"What the hell are you talking about clown?"

"Ok, ok, I'll tell you. The Robin before you, right little arse he was, always had something to say, loved answering back, stupid bastard. Even Batman wasn't that fond of him."

Silence came from the speaker, Tim did remember seeing a different Robin on T.V when he was young. One that was the same age as he is now, not the teenager that Nightwing would have been.

Finally he spoke, "What happened to him?"

Joker smiled widely, "Well, I lured him into the backroom, leaving my men to fight Batman, kidnapped him. Then I tied him up in a little hut, then I… umm… what's the best way to put this… Beat him with a crowbar till he was unconscious and then blew him up. Oh you should have seen Batman's face…"

Joker roared with laughter, "It was such _fun_."

A loud click came from the speaker as Robin turned it off.

Joker stopped laughing and smiled, "here he comes." He whispered to himself. He looked up into the camera and started to speak, "So I'm just sitting here, bored out of my scull, minding my own business, when suddenly-"

Robin burst through the door, and marched into the room "You bastard! You murderous, disgusting, vile thing. You're not a man! You're a _dog_ that deserves to be put down!"

Robin picked one of the Jokers guns off the cabinet on the far side of the room, then moved towards the Jokers cage, he stood next to the bars, gun held aloft, aimed at the Jokers face.

The clown looked up wearing an expression of mock terror, "…When suddenly this happens."

Joker stuck his hand through the bars, grabbing onto the child before he had a chance to react. He snapped the young mans arm backwards, breaking it, and took the gun off of the now screaming boy.

Joker quickly stuck his hand into Robins utility belt, grabbing his pair of bat-cuffs, and swiftly clipped them onto the boy's wrist, locking him to the bars of his prison.

"You're such a good child. Thank you for playing along with all this."

Joker shot several times at the door to the cell, hitting the bolt holding the door in place, it didn't break it, but weakened it just enough so it could be kicked down.

It fell to the floor with a loud thud.

Joker danced about the room, spinning and leaping triumphantly, "you know kid" he said once he had stopped, "You, are very easy to manipulate."

He sprinted off down the mouth of the Batcave, happy to be free from that cell.


	5. Going Back

It had briefly crossed his mind to explore the cave before he left, but he'd decided to leave, as he didn't know when Batman would be back, in that cell it had seemed timeless, he wasn't sure how long he'd been in there, or what time it was, whether it was day or night.

Once leaving the cave he discovered it was around 10 in the evening, so he felt rather happy at his decision to leave straight away, as Batman would have been back soon to get ready for his rounds of the city.

He found himself back at the house he had been sharing with Harley; he had found himself missing her more than he thought he would… Or maybe it was just the nice big bed he missed.

"Honey I'm home!" He yelled happily as he walked through the door. Ivy and Harley were sat at the table, playing poker for toffees, they nodded but said nothing. Joker frowned, "can't a man get a hello when he comes home anymore? Cup of tea or anything?"

Harley put down her cards and looked up at him.

"Sorry puddin' I was trying to concentrate. Why've you been gone for so long? It's been 3 days."

Joker smiled, "I was kidnapped."

Harley's jaw dropped, and she jumped to her loves side, "Oh, Mr J, I'm sorry, what happened?"

"Batman drugged me and took me to his cave."

Ivy laughed, "I hope that's not a euphemism."

Harley scowled, "Red! Don't make fun of him, he's obviously been through a lot. How did you get out? He didn't hurt you did he?"

Joker smirked down at Ivy, he didn't at all like her, he loved it when Harley yelled at her.

"Oh, Harl, it was the worst," he smiled "I had to break a kids arm to get out."

/

Alfred rushed downstairs, "Master Tim! What happened?" He ran over to the crying child, "I knew I shouldn't have left you alone."

He fumbled with the Bat-cuffs, trying to get them off. Tim screeched in pain as Alfred inspected the break in his arm. "Master Bruce told you not to come down here. This is exactly why. Come on, lets get this set." He pulled the boy to his feet and lead him to the medical supply cupboard, Tim seemed dozy, most likely he was in shock. The bone was pulled back into place and put in a splint, and bandaged.

"...He broke out, I'm sorry, he broke my arm, I couldn't stop him..."

Alfred looked down at the child, "I know, try to stay calm. Have a drink." He handed the wounded pre-teen a glass of water. "I'm sorry, I'm such an idiot, he goaded me on... He told me about Jason."

"Oh..." Alfred frowned, "Master Tim, it's not that we didn't want to tell you, it's too painful for Master Bruce to talk about."

"...What? So you let me fight him, knowing what he could do?"

"Everyone knows what he's capable of, you've seen him kill people."

Tim sighed, admiring his new bandages, "How many Robins have there been? Am I just one in a long line?"

Alfred's face contorted angrily, "Master Tim, no. There have been three Robins, Master Dick, Master Jason and you. Master Jason suffered an untimely and horrific death, his passing caused great upset to Master Bruce. He was adamant not to let anyone else help him. But Barbara was just as stubborn about helping. When he found you, it just seemed right for you to help."

Tim seemed unimpressed, "we should call Bruce, tell him what happened."

/

"I can't believe you did that. I can't believe he got out... But at least you're not hurt." Bruce checked Tim's arm as he watched the footage from that evening. "He knew you what you were going to do. How did you not realise it was a trick."

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to."

"You were going to shoot him! I can't believe it, you know my stance on guns. You know why I'm opposed to them."

Tim had once again started crying, "I'm sorry, I know, I'm sorry."

"Tim, I'm putting you on the bench. Your not going out until further notice. You're grounded."

Tim frowned, "What! That's not fair. How are you going to cope, only you and Barb"

Bruce sighed, "we'll be fine, but I can't let you go out after this. And you certainly are not aloud to watch the Joker after this."

"What! You're bringing him back here? After this?" He gestured towards his arm. Alfred turned to Bruce, "I agree with Master Tim sir, the Joker cannot be trusted."

"Tim's the one who made the mistake, he should have seen it coming. If only I have contact with the Joker I know we can do this."

Alfred and Tim groaned simultaneously.

"You might not like it, but it's what's happening. I'm going to go and find him."

/

Joker sat at the kitchen table, he and Ivy had just finished a shouting match, she started it, as always, she got annoyed when he told Harley to make him a sandwich. Ivy, that god damn hippie. She annoyed him so much...

"Harley where's that sandwich?" As he said it, a plate was placed in front of him, ham and cheese, "Aww, my favorite."

He started eating the sandwich, wolfing it down as if he hadn't eaten in days.

"Didn't Batman feed you? You look hungry."

"He did, I just didn't eat much, thought it might have been drugged." He swallowed the last of his food, then looked up at Harley, watching her clean the table top. "Say Harl. You know you kept asking who Jeannie was? I've found out."

Harley stopped cleaning, and sat on the chair opposite Joker. "Who was she?" Joker started giggling, a fun chance to piss Harley off, "she was my wife." Harley's eye's widened, "and this," Joker pulled out the sonogram picture, "was our son."

Harley started at the picture, "What happened...?"

Joker stilled, he'd not got to read what happened, he felt a sinking feeling in his stomach, "I'm not sure. I didn't get to find out."

"You had a wife and son?"

"She was still pregnant. And I had a brother, Nathan Maize his name was."

Harley stared in disbelief, "Wow. I don't believe this. I knew you had a life before you were Joker, but... You had a family?"

Joker laughed, "I know, amazing isn't it, I never would have guessed."

"Do you remember anything about her?"

Joker shrugged, "only that she was blond with blue eyes... she was beautiful, I was so lucky to have her..."

Tears had started to appear in his eyes. "Mr J? Are you alright?"

He inhaled sharply, "yeah, why wouldn't I be?"

"... You were about to cry."

Joker frowned, "no I wasn't."

"You were, sir do you want to talk about it, I did used to be a psychiatrist."

Jokers face softened, "no thank you Harley, I don't want any of your psycho-bullshit... I just wish I knew her, I loved her so much, I wish I remembered..."

He was welling up again, Harley nodded, surprised that he had said that, she wanted to him continue; she knew that if she said anything he'd stop.

"Whenever I think of her, and I try to remember her face, it makes me feel sick, I can't... I can't..."

He collapsed into tears.

Harley dashed to his side, "Puddin', Mr J, are you alright?" She put a hand on his arm to try to calm him.

The clown was suddenly on his feet, "Get off me, you insignificant little fuck!" He sent Harley flying through the air, she hit the wall with a crunch and fell in a crumpled heap on the bed as he stormed out of the house.

/

He needed to know.

He needed to know more.

He'd started to remember.

It was like something tickling at the back of his brain.

It was... indescribably painful.

God, he couldn't believe he had started crying in front of her.

He hadn't even noticed he'd started.

He sighed as he realised the only way that he would be able to remember would be if he had Batman's help.

"Batman!" He yelled into the night. "Batman! Come on I know you're out there!" He wondered around, eye's darting to every shadow. ""Batman! Come and get me! I won't bite... hard."

He heard a flutter of material, turning towards the noise he opened his arms, welcoming the on-coming beating.

Soon the clown fell to the floor, his face cut and bruised. Batman lifted the slim man over his shoulder, cuffed him and threw him into the Bat-mobile.

/

Joker laughed as he was thrown head first into the cell, Batman had undressed him again but he had left the Bat-cuffs on. He lifted himself to his feet and inspected the new lock, "Great work you've done here Batsy. Oh by the way, tell your little bird boy that I'm awful sorry about earlier, I hope he'll come down later so we can finish our little chat a bit more civilly."

Batman sat on his chair near the bars, glaring at the captive man, "Why did you do that? You know I'm only trying to help you."

"Because that kid's a twat."

Batman exhaled, "He's just a bit naive. I've told him to stay away from you this time. He's not aloud any contact at all."

Joker smiled and chuckled, "is that a measure to help him or me?"

"Both. What is it about him that makes you act out? You were being perfectly civil to me. Why not him?"

"He's a twat."

Batman moved closer, his face touching the bars. Joker sat in front of him. "I don't know what more you want me to say Batsy."

"Why do you think he's a twat?"

Joker chuckled, "Why do you care so much about what I think of him?"

"He's my kid, I'm sure if you had a kid and someone didn't..."

Batman shifted uncomfortably, realising what he'd just said

Joker smiled, "Awww Batsy, look at you! It's alright I understand." He chuckled, "you should have seen how angry I got at Harley when she said I'd be a bad father."

"Harley knows?"

Joker nodded, "yeah but she said that before she found out, before I found out."

"Then why did you get angry, if you didn't even know?"

Joker tilted his head, "I did know, kind of, I used to have dreams."

Batman smiled, intrigued, "What happened in these dreams?"

"It's the same one every night, I still have it. Every night. I'm in bed with this... gorgeous woman, pregnant with my child, I look at them and touch her stomach, then I say something, I don't remember what, and I get out of bed. Then suddenly I feel really... scared... and then everything goes black. Then I wake up." The clown looked down quickly and sighed.

Batman smiled, glad to see the Joker opening up to him.

"She's dead isn't she Bats? Jeannie. How did she die, what happened to the baby?"

Batman looked the madman in the eyes, "I can't tell you, not until Nathan has had a chance to talk to you."

_**Ok People, Can I Please Get Some Reviews for this, I Want To Know If You Feel I'm Going The Right Way With This. Thank You.**_


	6. Families

Batman sat on the floor by the cell bars. He had made sure to leave his utility belt with the Jokers weapons on the other side of the room.

He watched the clown sleep. How could something so good turn into something so horrible. All Jack had wanted was a good life for his wife and child.

Bruce had found out something astounding.

Jacks child hadn't died.

Bruce had had to hack into police records to find out. He just hadn't been able to put to rest the fact the there were no records on the child.

He had found out the baby had been delivered safely, it had been thought dead at first, it wasn't breathing, but they had brought it back.

They intended to find Jack and tell him they had made a mistake, but they couldn't, they searched for several days, then assumed him dead.

The police had found out that the child's now-dead family had been connected to the mob, and in a desperate attempt to save the child from a life of crime they'd deleted all records of the child's existence, and put him up for adoption.

Bruce wanted to tell him that his son wasn't dead, but he knew it'd have to wait until Nathan had talked to him.

Joker stirred, opened his eyes and yawned, "mornin' Bats, have you been there long?" He stood and stretched, it was like watching a cat do the same, his limbs seemed so oddly long and disproportionate, it made Batman feel a little sick.

"Not too long."

Joker looked over, slightly startled, "you sound happy. How come?"

Batman shrugged, "personal."

Joker huffed, "very descriptive... How's Robin, his arms not infected or anything wonderful like that?"

"No. It's better than we thought, it was a clean break so he should be fine in a few weeks."

Joker chuckled, "Damn, and I was hoping for something fatal..."

"How do you think your life would have gone if Jeannie hadn't died?"

Joker cocked his head, "Would I have still fallen into the acid?"

Batman nodded, "If you'd still fallen into the acid but Jeannie was still alive. How do you think things would have gone?"

"Umm, I'd go back to her and she'd help me through it I guess..."

"She'd stay with you even though you were scarred?"

Joker nodded, "Yeah. She loved me of course she would."

Batman leant against the bars, "How do you know? Do you remember anything about her that to say that?"

Joker nodded no trace of doubt in his voice he said; "I loved her, and she loved me back just as much, maybe more. I know she would have stayed with me, I know it."

Batman smiled and nodded, "it must be nice to have known love like that."

Joker sighed and smiled slightly, "it was. But it's horrible now it's gone. They say it's better to have loved and lost, the people who said that are talking shit. I wish I'd never met her. I wish I'd stayed in England in that shit excuse for an orphanage."He was starting to remember. Peoples faces, the sounds of their voices, he couldn't quite remember the plot of his life, but he could remember... patches.

"...Joker. Are you ok?"

He chuckled, "yeah, just, reminiscing. Kind of."

"You're crying."

Joker touched his face. It was wet. "Shit, not again. Why does this keep happening... Why does this keep happening!"

Batman jolted away from the bars as Joker kicked at the wall several times.

Joker sank to the floor, desperately wiping the tears from his face, but every one he wiped away was replaced by another. "For fucks sake!"

Batman leant back against the bars, this time reaching his arm through to put his hand on Jokers arm. "It's because you're starting to remember, your mind's not sure how to deal with all these emotions."

"I don't have emotions."

"Obviously you do, or else you wouldn't be crying."

Joker threw Batman's hand off of his arm. "Fuck off Batman."

Batman retracted his arm. "You want me to leave?"

"No..." Joker said indignantly, "I just want you to shut up. Stop talking as if you know what to do with me. You don't. No one does..."

"See, I think that you don't like psychiatrists 'coz of that one you saw when you were a kid. You liked her, says so in your diary. But, you didn't really write down very much in here, you didn't put very much feeling into your writing. I think you liked her more than you put down, but, as you've put in your diary, she didn't exactly reciprocate. I think that's why you don't like psychiatrists. You think they don't care about you only the pay check they get after seeing you."

Joker snorted angrily, but said nothing.

Bruce smiled, he knew he was right. "I'm not being paid, I'm in this for you, _I want to help you_."

"...You just want me out the way so I'm not on the streets."

Batman smiled and shook his head, "I want to help you. If Gotham's streets are free of you afterwards that's just a bonus. I only care about you."

Joker crossed his arms, "What about Nathan?"

"I've not actually told him about you yet…"

Joker chuckled and wiped away the last of his tears; he'd finally stopped crying. "So you're just going to abduct him and hope he'll help?"

"He'll definitely help. You _are _his brother."

"And of course he would have _cured the Joker"_ Joker laughed.

He shook his head.

"I'm sure he'll want to help."

"Only two days 'till we find out."

/

Batman didn't want to talk anymore with Joker, not until Nathan had talked to him and he was able to take the news that his child was still alive. He had had to stop himself from telling Joker about him the day before.

He permitted the madman use of a small TV, it was out of reach and stuck on one channel, but he thought it would work as a gesture of good will.

He searched on the computer for Jack's lost child, and found him. His name was Thomas. And he lived in a village just outside of Gotham.

/

The streets were bustling with people, everyone filing into the grand hall, to hear speeches from the leading psychiatrists and psychologists of their time. Batman hid himself in the rafters, waiting for Nathan Maize's speech.

He sat and watched as person after person stood on stage and read speeches about their views, and recycled theories.

Then he sat and watched, shocked, as Nathan walked onto the stage. The resemblance was uncanny, he looked almost exactly like his brother, and there was now no doubt in his mind that Jack was the former Joker.

He was tall, very tall, Bruce guessed about 6'4, and slightly larger than Joker was, but he had the familiarly disproportionate, long limbs, and the same shaped face, the same long pointed chin and sharp nose.

_Wow _Batman mouthed as he listened to Nathan read his speech about childhood trauma. They even sounded alike, only Nathan's voice was quite a bit deeper.

He waited for Nathan to finish his speech, the last one of the day, he left the stage and, after being congratulated, he headed for the toilets. Batman silently followed, opting to go out the building and through the window to the toilet block, rather than walk through the hoards of people.

"That was some speech Mr Maize." Batman growled at Nathan, who was now washing his hands.

Nathan jumped backwards, swearing, "you're Batman aren't you?"

The Bat nodded.

Nathan had a very strong English-Irish accent, "what do you want?"

"I want you to treat the Joker."

Nathan laughed, he even had the same mocking-laugh as Joker "What? But he's a psychopathic killer. I deal with childhood traumas, not murdering loons."

"He suffers from childhood traumas, how else do you think he became a 'murdering loon'. He grew up in Ireland, saw his brother and mother shot in front of him, by his father, then he was shipped off to an un-caring orphanage in England."

Nathan held the bridge of his nose, eyes closed, "what? No… You cannot be serious, you can't know that."

Batman smirked, "It might be a hard idea to grasp but it's true."

Nathan laughed again, "No, you can't be telling me that the Joker is my brother."

"I am. I thought that would be the best way to tell you. So can you come and treat him? Bear in mind that if you say no I'm just going to make you."

"But I have a family, a wife and children waiting for me."

Batman wrote something on a piece of paper. "Meet me at this address, at two o'clock tomorrow, tell your family you've been offered a stay-in at Arkham asylum for a few days or something. If you're not there, I'll find you, and bring you in personally."


	7. Sessions of Showers

"Hi Joker, guess who's come to see you?" Batman said happily as he jumped out of the bat-mobile. Joker sparsely looked up from the small TV, "Unless it's the Easter bunny or good ol' santy, I'm not all that interested at the moment, I'm watching Jerry Springer..."

Batman smiled, He walked to the passenger side of the car, "Your brother... He's half-conscious at the moment, I had to put him out so he didn't know where the batcave is."

He lifted Nathan out of the car and sat him on a chair.

"Well that's going to get us on his good side isn't it..." Joker still didn't look up from the TV.

"It's ok, he agreed to it." Batman sat on the floor by the bars, the place he now sat every time he talked with the Joker.

Batman lent over and turned off the TV, sparking a sworn grunt from Joker, as Nathan started to animate.

Joker, for the first time in however many years, looked up at his brother, "Good lord he ain't half ugly," Joker smiled, "look at that nose! I guess I got all the good genes."

Batman smirked, not entirely sure if Joker was joking, or was that delusional.

Nathan lifted a hand to to forehead, "Jesus Batsy, that stuff you gave me has done a number on my head..."

Joker frowned fleetingly, most likely at the use of the nickname 'Batsy'.

"It hardly effects me anymore." Joker smirked.

Nathan rubbed his eyes, "then you must have had a few too many hits." He smiled down at Joker, "So you're the famous Joker?"

Joker stood and bowed, "The one and only! You're Nathan? My apparently long lost brother."

Nathan smiled, "We could do a DNA test to prove it. Yeah. I think we've got enough equipment in this place to."

Joker chuckled, finally someone with a sense of humor, "I swear half of this stuff is just for show."

Nathan chuckled, hearing it Jokers eyes lit up, and a massive smile appeared on his face.

"Alright can we stop this? We're supposed to be talking about Joker."

Joker giggled, "Now he's mad 'coz we're making fun of his stuff."

"What have you been up to these past 30 year then Jack?" Nathan smiled.

Joker rolled his eyes, "Hasn't Batman shown you my diary? I suggest you read it, quite invigorating..."

"I have seen it but I wanted to hear it from you."

Joker glanced over at Batman, "fighting with him mostly."

"What's your relationship with Batman like?"

Joker smirked, "violent. Obviously."

Nathan smiled, "Then whys he not fighting with you at the moment? Whys he caring for you?"

Joker shrugged, "'Coz he feels sorry for me, knows what I used to be like, and that I blame him for what I am now. Plus he thinks I fancy him, he should have figured out that I prefer blonds. And redheads! They're bloody mad!" He laughed down at Batman, who rolled his eyes at the joke.

"I heard you have a girlfriend?"

Joker grinned, "Harley Quinn. She's not my girlfriend just lovely little idiot."

"Why do you call her that? I used to know her, before I was married, she was smart."

Joker frowned viciously, "What do you mean you used to know her?"

Nathan smiled, eyebrows raised, "8, maybe 9 years ago, I met her at a conference, she was just starting out. We had a nice time."

Joker held the bars, he didn't look at all happy, "What? Did you?"

Nathan nodded slyly, sparking a flurry of abuse from Joker.

Batman jumped away from the bars, startled by this turn of events.

He moved over to Nathan, "Why did you do that? He didn't need to know, you're just making him mad."

Nathan smiled and tapped Batman on the arm, "Relax!."

He pushed Batman out of the way, leaving him scowling.

"Joker! Why would you react like this if you didn't care about her?"

He waited for Joker to calm himself, and asked the question again."Why?"

Joker frowned, crossing his arms angrily.

Nathan smiled, "I can see the family resemblance, you're acting just like my boy when he's angry."

"Are you calling me childish?"

Nathan nodded.

"You're a twat Nathan." The madman sneered.

Nathan chuckled, "Aww, it's just like back when we were kids. Are you gunna answer my question?"

Joker frowned, "no 'coz you're being a twat. Have you seen what I've done to Robin? I could so easily do it to you!"

Nathan looked towards Batman, "What did he do to Robin?"

"He broke his arm."

Nathans eyes widened in shock, "But isn't he like, ten?"

"Yeah, that doesn't matter to him, once he killed a class of kindergartners."

Joker laughed, "That was a fun day."

"So if you want to go ahead and upset him more, on your head be it..."

Nathan grunted, and sat back down on his chair. Batman looked over at the smaller man, he hadn't been able to wash, or tend to himself in several days, and it showed, his hair wasn't slicked back as normal, it had fallen and Batman could now see its full length, it was almost down to his shoulders. He had bags under his eyes and the bottom half of his face was covered in stubble, even that was green. Batman hadn't expected it to be. The poor man looked as if he smelled bad.

"I'm going to have to rethink my whole strategy with you aren't I?" Nathan mumbled, causing Joker to let out a small giggle, "You can't plan for me."

"Right then little brother, what's your best memory from your childhood? That you can remember anyway."

Joker shrugged, "My dog, I guess..." Joker burst out laughing, "His name was Swog! Swog? What was I thinking!"

"How did you feel when he died? Angry?"

Joker shook his head, "No. Just sad."

Nathan nodded, that way that psychologists do, "What changed you from feeling sad to feeling angry when bad things happened?"

Joker shrugged defiantly, both Batman and Nathan could tell he knew what changed him, but he just wouldn't say.

Batman coaxed him into talking, "Come on Joker, what was it? We're only trying to help. If you really don't want to say then we can leave it till later."

Joker swallowed hard, "My father used to beat me up pretty bad."

Nathan nodded, "I know, he used to go for you because you were smaller, I couldn't stop him."

"I never got to tell me how much he hurt me... emotionally."Joker shook his head and cursed himself for saying that. He span round and sat facing the wall.

Batman put an arm through the bars, and rested a hand on the broken mans shoulder, he felt his body shudder through tears, "Things like that can tear you apart."

"Oh god..." Joker whimpered. He suddenly span round, yelling towards Nathan, "Get him out of here, people shouldn't see me like this!" He stood, gesturing threateningly at his brother, "Fuck off! Get the fuck out of here!"

Batman walked over to Nathan, "maybe it would be best if you left for the day, I'll take you back to your hotel, and pick you up same time and place tomorrow."

Nathan nodded, and reluctantly pulled back his sleeve and stuck out his arm to receive his small shot of tranquiliser.

/

Batman again sat by the bars of the Jokers cell.

"You know what Joker? Fuck this, I can't have you like this. Give me your hand."

Startled, Joker complied. Batman slapped a pair of cuffs on him, locking him to the bars.

"... What the hell Batsy?" Joker mumbled unhappily, he had been asleep.

Batman opened the cell door and uncuffed Joker from the bars, before cuffing one to his own wrist.

He pulled the disorientated, half asleep Joker across the room, and secured him to an exposed water pipe.

The Bat rushed across the room, picking up things, bottles of some sort, Joker couldn't see what they were.

Batman walked over to the almost naked man and poured some liquids over the mans white body.

"What the fuck? Is this shower gel?" Joker laughed, "You had me scared for a second Batman!"

Batman hooked up a hose to the sink in the medical area of the batcave.

Joker suddenly felt lukewarm water rushing against his body.

It was great to feel the water splashing against his body, feel days worth of sweat and grime being washed away.

"Oh god this feels so good!"

Batman moved the stream of water over Jokers body, starting at his toes and working his way up, although he gingerly avoided the other mans 'private area', Joker noticed this and laughed, "come on Bats, my dick's the dirtiest part of me!" He smirked as Batman unwillingly aimed the stream of water at the gap in the mans boxers.

The feeling of it made the madman writhe and giggle, "Alright that's enough, do my hair now." He smiled.

Batman shot the water at Jokers face, rinsing his hair of all the gunk that had collected in it over the past week, bubbles ran down Jokers face, he squinted his eyes to stop the soap from entering them.

Batman rinsed the soap off, and turned off the hose.

He then located a towel and began drying Joker.

The towel tickled Joker, making him laugh childishly and jolt away.

Joker was then pulled unceremoniously back across the room and thrown back into his cell, and left to sleep.


	8. A Little More Conversation

"Nice to see you again Nathan." Joker smiled as his brother started to come round.

"Hi, Jack." He rubbed his brow, "god, this stuff, it's horrible, I feel a bit sick..."

Batman handed the tall, plump man a cup of water, "It'll pass."

"Let's talk about Harley and Jeannie today."

Joker shook his head, "Don't want to."

Nathan took out a small notepad, and a pencil, "Why not?"

Joker's eyes narrowed, "'Coz you've _fucked_ Harley and Jeannie's dead."

Nathan smiled, "It doesn't matter what I've done in the past, this is about you."

Joker rolled his eyes, "if your past doesn't matter, then why does mine?" He smiled and folded his arms.

Nathan chuckled, "'coz I've not killed over 600 people."

"I still don't see why my past matters so much, making me feel better about myself won't bring all those people back."

"It won't bring Jeannie back either."

Joker growled, he was obviously trying to hold himself back.

Batman placed his hand through the bars; he knew that Jeannie's death would be hard for Joker to talk about, he remembered having to talk about _his_ parent's death and how hard that was.

After a couple of seconds Batman was amazed to feel Joker's hand grasp his own.

"I can't help it, I just feel so angry all the time," The mad man laughed and brushed his hair back, "I couldn't understand why all this shit was happening to me, I mean, I'd tried to be a good person! Then I realized, it's not me that things are happening to! It's the people I care about: my mum, the Napier's, my uncle, Jeannie, and my son." He counted them off on his fingers, then started laughing again.

Nathan scribbled some notes, "…You feel that if you don't let people get close to you then you won't care if they get hurt? … So why've you let Harley become close to you?"

"That was her choice, I didn't want her to, and she has the same laugh as Jeannie… She bloody pisses me off though!" He chuckled.

"So you feel as if she's a link to her? To your past?" He scratched more onto his notepad. "… But then why do you treat her so badly?"

"Coz' she pisses me off! She's such an annoying little brat. Does everything wrong!"

Nathan leant forward "By that do you mean that she doesn't _act_ like Jeannie?"

Joker glanced down at the floor, then looked back up at Nathan and smiled, "You know what I like most about Harley? That _thing _she does with her tongue."

Nathan gritted his teeth and sighed, "You're changing the subject Jack."

Joker smiled "No I'm not, you said you wanted to talk about Harley, so lets talk about Harley! When you slept with her, was it just normal sex or did you do _other_ stuff as well? 'Coz it's the other stuff she's best at."

Bruce turned to look Joker in the eyes, "You told me that you 'don't do relationships', but you have sex?"

Joker giggled and smiled at Batman, "A man has _needs _Batman, you're a man you should know that."

Nathan frowned, "does Harley know that you 'don't do relationships', that you don't feel anything for her, does she know it's only sex?"

Joker, once again, glanced down at the floor, "… I… I do feel for her, I think. I think I'd miss her if she weren't there."

"She's not always there though," Batman noted, "she stays with Ivy quite a lot now. Do you miss _her_ then? Or do you just miss the sex?"

"Batman, I'm quite the charmer, if I were to try I could get sex from _anyone_." Joker smirked.

Nathan smiled, "So you do miss Harley, you do feel for her?"

Joker nodded thoughtfully, "I think so, like the first time she stayed away at Ivy's, she was gone for ages, nothing got done, all my clothes were dirty, the hyenas didn't get fed, I missed her then."

"Is that just because she wasn't there to do things for you? Or did you actually miss _her_?"

Joker shrugged, "a mixture of both probably. I dunno."

Nathan tilted his head, unsure if it would be wise to ask, "Do you miss Jeannie?"

He instantly realized it wasn't the best choice of question, as Joker shouted; "How about I kill your fucking wife, and then ask you that!"

Batman squeezed Jokers hand in an attempt to calm the clown.

Nathan cleared his throat, "I think we may have done enough for today. Batman, could I go?"

/

Nathan woke in the Bat-mobile. He yawned a put his hand to his head, "That stuff really is horrible…"

Batman grunted in agreement, "I'm working on something a little more gentle."

"There's something going on between you and Joker isn't there?"

Batman shook his head, the mere thought made his stomach turn.

Nathan sniffed, "Yeah there is, I can see it in your eyes, and his, it's not friendship, it's nothing I've ever seen before, it's like severe hate and lust at the same time."

Batman shook his head again, "there's nothing going on with us, I want to help him, that's all, I'm not a homosexual."

Nathan grunted thoughtfully, "maybe not physical lust, more… ideological, intellective? There's something in him that you find intriguing. In some way you are attracted to him."

Batman shook his head dismissively, "How do you think today went?"

"Ok I think, but I don't really see the point of me being there, he won't open up to me, you're the one who should do this, you have more of a connection, I know I'm his brother, but we have no connection. To him I'm always going to be just another shrink… And I don't like having mine or my families lives threatened."

Batman pulled over, "He can't actually hurt you. He's locked up."

Nathan hopped out of the Bat-mobile, "He's gotten out before."

/

"That bastard! Fucking hell!" Batman shouted as he ran down the stairs.

Joker stood up, "What? What's happened?"

The vigilante sat at his computer, fuming, "Your bastard of a brother, I gave him a copy of your diary to read, the twat has gone and given it to the press!"

Joker started laughing, "That sounds like something I'd do! What are you going to do about it?"

Batman was typing furiously on the keyboard, "fuck I don't know, I need him here to help you, I didn't think he'd do this... What am I saying? I should have known he'd do it! He's related to you!" He gestured towards Joker, "God, I'm getting stupid in my old age, I never should have made him stay here… There we go, that was easier than I thought it would be."

"What? What did you do?"

Batman leant back, looking up at the batcomputer's screen, "Deleted the files, so they can't print it for tomorrows morning addition. Now I just have to deal with the source."

Joker chuckled, "Oh I love when you talk like that, you sound so macho! But before you go and '_deal with the source' _could a poor middle-aged clown get a little food? Or could you at least clean the toilet? I don't like sleeping next to something that smells that bad." He smiled at the frustrated man, "Come on Batsy! Lighten up! If Nathan were anything like me, which he is, he would have realized that you'd try to find him; he probably posted the diary from the airport for god's sake. He'll be long gone."

Batman sighed, "Yeah, you're right, but still, if I don't try..."

"If you don't try then what? He won't learn, you won't feel any better; it'll just be a wasted day. You could stay here, and we could talk, we don't need him. 'Coz guess what? I remembered something while I was asleep, something rather good."

He chuckled as Batman walked over to his cell, "I'll just have a quick sweep for him, then we'll talk ok?"

Joker tutted and rolled his eyes, "...You won't find him..."


	9. Childlike Naivety

Batman sat, talking with Joker, he had been unable to find Nathan, but he had been able to go to the Gotham newspaper office and recover the copy of the diary.

"Jeannie wouldn't do that, are you sure it wasn't just a dream?"

Joker nodded, "I'm sure it wasn't a dream, but I don't think she actually did, I'm pretty sure it was just me being jealous."

Batman grunted, "It was probably just that, I really don't think she'd cheat on you, she wouldn't risk loosing you, she loved you."

Joker picked at his fingernails, he seemed to be avoiding Batman's eyes, "It was just, she spent so much time with him, and talked about him a lot, it was always 'Stephen this Stephen that.' I just found it a little hard to believe that she wasn't…" He sighed thoughtfully. "And I mean, I couldn't really do anything, he was a police officer! He could have made my life hell."

Batman smirked, "you were in the mob, you could have made _his_ life hell."

Joker shook his head, "No, I wasn't in the mob, I left after I married Jeannie. I hardly saw Jona or Uncle Walter after that. I was just a drudgen. A drone. I couldn't do anything. I was such a failure I'd be surprised if Jeannie wasn't cheating on me."

"You could make her laugh."

Joker let out a small, pitiful chuckle, "I do miss her. She was everything to me… It hurts just to think of her."

"Is that why you kill people? You want the rest of the world to be hurt too?"

Joker jerked his head away, "Don't do that Batsy! I don't want any of you psychobabble. I'm kind of bearing my soul here! Can't you just listen?"

Batmen smiled, "ok sorry, go on."

"I really don't think she would cheat on me, and I defiantly know that the baby was mine."

Batman nodded, "It was."

Joker frowned and placed his head in his hands, "But how do you know? There's no way of telling now, for all I know, the picture in my wallet, the baby I loved, wasn't mine, it was someone else's bastard child, and my wife was a cheating whore!"

Joker was suddenly standing, Batman jumped back as the clown started kicking the bars and throwing himself at the walls of the cell. "Let me out! I hate it here! I want to go home!"

Batman stood back, waiting for Joker to calm down, until he stood in the middle of the cell, breathing sharply, choking back tears. Batman hadn't wanted see him like this; Joker, the man who laughs, the clown prince of crime, one of the most evil men Bruce had ever seen, who had killed over 600 people, brought to tears by the thought that his child may not be his. This was why he had needed Nathan, he had wanted to be able to distance himself, for him Joker needed to not seem human.

"… The child was yours Joker… He's not dead."

"… What?" Joker turned to face Batman, "What do you mean he's not dead?"

"He's not dead, I found out a few days ago."

Joker frowned, still trying not to give in to tears, and chuckled, "that's a sick joke Bats, seems my sense of humor is rubbing off on you."

Batman smiled weakly, "It's not a joke, it's true. His name is Thomas, he lives just out of town."

A tear ran down Jokers cheek, "Don't say things like that Batsy, you know how I'll get."

"Joker, it's true."

Joker smiled, "You're serious? It's actually true?"

Batman nodded, "I wanted to tell you sooner but I couldn't think how to."

Joker frowned, conflicted, "… so…" He started laughing, "I'm a father! I have a son!" He span in his cell, stopping to hold the bars, press his face against them, facing Batman, smiling, "I want to see him!"

Batman walked over to the computer, and pulled an article out of a folder, blowing it up to full size so that Joker could see it from the other side of the room.

Joker looked up at the newspaper clipping, the headline read 'Local boy Thomas Leary wins annual charity run', above the headline was a picture of a boy in his teens holding a trophy, sticking his tongue out at the camera. "…Holy hell… He has Jeannie's eyes, and hair."

Batman smiled, "He looks almost exactly like you, you can't say that he's not your child."

Joker smiled, "How old is he?"

"Sixteen. Been alive as long as you've been the Joker."

Joker frowned, "For his whole life he would have been scared of me…"

Batman smirked, "That's what you get for being a mass murdering super-villain."

Joker chuckled, "Can I meet him?"

"I can try to arrange it."

Joker laughed, "you're going to steal him on his way home from school aren't you?"

Batman shrugged, "I'll see what I can do."

/

"Are you really gunna let him meet his kid? After what he did to me?" Tim lifted his arm, which had been put in a cast.

"He's changed, this is something he _cares _about, you saw him, on the CCTV, he was almost crying for god's sake!"

"After what he's done to the people of this city, to you! To our family? You're going to bring a perfectly innocent person into this mess?"

Bruce scowled, "Don't be so negative, Jack deserves a chance to meet his son. Thomas deserves a chance to meet his father!"

"Negative? I'm not being negative! You're being naive! Looks like we've traded places Bruce. If it were the other way round you wouldn't let _me_ do it!"

He stormed out the room, swearing, leaving Bruce fuming.

"… You don't think I'm being naïve do you Alfred? I am doing the right thing aren't I?"

"I think a boy has a right to know his father, however, sir, you might want to consider that this may have something to do with your own issues, if you feel that your decision has something to do with you not having your father while growing up, then it may not be the best choice. Although that's only my opinion sir."

Bruce grunted, "I doubt it has anything to do with that, but thank you Alfred. Your input's more useful than Tim's..."

/

Joker smiled as he saw Bruce enter the Batcave holding a tray of steaming hot food, "Oh yay, what _delights _am I feasting on tonight?" He danced around his cell, "Rabbit maybe? Snails?" He held his hands to his eyes, making mock glasses, "Fish eyes?"

Batman slid the paper plate under the door to the cell, "Nothing that exotic, Lasagna."

Joker smiled widely, "Oh your so thoughtful." He took the plate and started shoveling the food into his mouth.

"You're in an unusually good mood, considering you've been stuck in a box for the past two weeks."

"I'm going to meet my son, I've been dreaming about this day for so long, I always wanted a kid… Until I forgot." His eyes suddenly darted away from his food, he cleared his throat.

"…Do you think the things I've done have effected him? Thomas."

Batman nodded, "he and his family used to live in the city, you blew up his apartment building, luckily no one was hurt."

Joker sighed, "…I never wanted that, for my kid to grow up in the same state of terror… that I did… I never wanted that…" He placed a hand on his chin, chuckling, "heheh, I always used to say that I'd make sure my kid had a good childhood, I ended up making it worse without realizing."

He shook his head and laughed.

"He has had a good childhood, despite your interference." Batman smiled, "so what should I tell him? When I get him."

Joker shrugged, "that you're taking him to see his father? Shit I don't know, I'm no good at this emotional crap. Make it up as you go along, what I always say."

Batman nodded, "I'll do my best. But I don't know how I'm going to break it to him that his biological dad is the Joker."

Joker chuckled again, "He's a teenage boy, he'll probably think it's _cool_ or whatever it is kid his age say..."

**Hello peoples, sorry it's taken me so long to upload this chapter, I've been busy (work and all), please review if you like it and favorite it if you really like it.**


	10. Likeminded

Batman sat, watching the teenager's house, he had just done his rounds of the city and wanted to see if he could have a chat with Thomas. He'd been watching the house for a while; he could see why Thomas' adopted parents had wanted to live here, it was clearly the nicest place in Gotham, picturesque, surrounded by beautiful green fields, air heavy with the smell of cut grass and rain. The beauty of it almost made Bruce forget why he was there; a cat chasing a butterfly distracted him, though only for a couple of seconds. He decided he'd quite like to buy a small place out here when he grew too old and frail to be Batman, if that ever happened.

Thomas' mother was a rather pretty woman, not _hot_ or any variation of that, but very pretty; red hair, blue eyes.

The father on the other hand, he was _hot,_ Bruce wasn't into other men, but even he could see the attraction.

After watching for several hours Thomas left the house, he was carrying 2 overflowing bin bags, they looked heavy but he held them with ease, he was physically fitter than Joker, that much was obvious.

Batman stepped out, standing in front of the teenage boy, begging the child to not scream as he jumped back in terror, the jump caused the young man to drop the two bags of rubbish.

"You know you're adopted, right?"

Thomas nodded, looking unimpressed, "so you came here to scare me half to death, then ask me stupid questions? Shouldn't you be off fighting men dressed as clowns and women in skimpy leather costumes? Yeah I know I'm adopted, anyone with eyes can tell that, I mean, have you seen my dad?"

Batman grunted, "Have you any interest in meeting your biological father?"

Thomas shrugged, "yeah, sure I have... Oh shit it's not you is it? Do you have any idea how hilarious that would be!" He burst out laughing, a laugh so similar to Joker's it sent a chill down Bruce's spine; he had though Nathan looked like Joker, this kid was the spitting image, save the hair and eyes.

"Your father's name was Jack Napier... Is Jack Napier. Would you like to meet him?"

Thomas frowned, "Wait, what about my mother?"

Batman sighed, "Unfortunately she passed away."

"... Is that why he gave me up? My father. Because my mother died?"

Batman shook his head, "he didn't want to give you up, he was told you had died along with you mother. It tore him apart."

Thomas crossed his arms, "why are you telling me all this?"

Batman smiled, "Because he had found out you didn't die, and wants to meet you."

"... What? Now?"

The vigilante shrugged, "when you're next available."

Thomas nodded, "I'll get my coat. The Batman, taking me to see my real dad, never would have thought of this."

The teenager walked back to his house, and briefly opened the door to grab his jacket and shout "Mum, Dad, I'm going round Matt's for a bit, don't wait up I'll be back after midnight."

/

"Joker! Feel like meeting your boy!" Batman yelled happily as he leaped out of the car.

"What? He's here now? But I look like shit! I wanted to at least be dressed!" Joker yelled angrily.

Batman grunted, Joker did look like shit... He picked up the madman's clothes and threw them at the cell, the pockets had been picked clean; there was nothing there that could be harmful.

The madman pulled on his purple suit, "hi baby, what has that naughty man done to you, he stripped you for parts hasn't he..." he cooed as he slipped on the Jacket and attempted to flatten the creases out.

"I just took out all your weapons."

Joker tutted, "Ahh that's better." he looked down at himself then ran his fingers through his hair in an attempt to straighten it out a little, he pushed his hair back, then touched his chin, "I seem to be getting a bit of a beard, any chance of fixing that?"

Batman grunted and picked a knife from the first aid kit. "Hands." he grunted instructively, the clown complied and was handcuffed to the bars, "Face."

Joker pushed his face up against the bars, and Batman ran the knife down the mans face, the hair falling to the floor. When he was finished Batman stowed the knife and un-cuffed the clown.

Joker felt his face, "still a little stubbly, but at least you didn't nick my poor little face." He sat on the bed, legs crossed, "so where's my child?"

Batman gestured, "in the bat-mobile, unconscious."

Joker smiled and clapped happily, "Bring him here, put him on the chair."

Batman walked over to the car and lifted the child out, and put the child on the chair.

Joker stared in disbelief, "He's gorgeous... He looks just like me, but handsome." He smiled, "he has Jeannie's eyes..." He sighed, smiling softly.

The teenager started to stir.

"Let's hope he takes this well."

His eyes started to flitter open.

"What do you mean, have you not told him that I'm the Joker yet?"

He grunted as he rubbed his eyes.

Batman didn't have to answer Jokers question, when Thomas saw Joker sitting in front of him he leaped up in fear, "Holy shit! It's the Joker!" He looked as if he was going to run, before he realised that the clown was in a cell, after which he calmed down a little, although he still looked startled.

"What the fuck!" He looked at his surroundings, "Batman where the hell am I?"

"This is my home."

Thomas chuckled, "you live in a cave? Figures."

Joker laughed, "Hey! That's what I said!"

The mad man looked up at the child, hand on his chin, and smiled softly, "like father like son I suppose…"

Thomas' eyes widened, and he took several steps back, "wait, no, that can't be right. He's him? He's my father?" He shook his head franticly, "no, no way, that's not possible!"

Joker beamed at him, "Oh it is very possible, and it is true! It's lovely to meet you at last my boy!" he stood and held his hand through the bars in an attempt to shake hands, but Thomas shied away, turning to Batman, saying in a pitch slightly higher than normal "It's not true is it?"

Batman nodded, Thomas sat back down, "My dad's gunna hate me… He's a cop, this guy's killed most of his friends!" He gestured towards Joker, "How can you be my father? We're completely different. You're a mass murdering super-psycho who operates out side of society, I'm a straight A student who helps charities! How is that possible!"

Joker smiled, "I was a straight A student. Do you like martial arts?"

Thomas stopped and frowned, "In Jujitsu I'm a blue belt…"

Jokers smile widened, "How long have you been doing it?"

"…About two years…"

Jokers smile widened, "that's how long it took me! … believe it or not, I was quite a stand up guy before… before I lost your mum…"

Thomas shifted uncomfortably, "umm… how did she die…"

Joker exhaled, it was always hard for him to talk about, he clasped his hands, "she died in a fire… The cop that told me said that you'd died as well."

"I wish I'd known her."

Joker smiled suddenly, determined to change the subject "So then my son! Who are the people who have had the pleasure of raising you?"

Thomas frowned again, he crossed his legs and arms, "my mothers name's Georgina, and my Fathers name is Stephen."

Joker frowned, he moved closer to the bars, "Hang on. His name's Stephen, and he's a cop? Is he dark haired and _incredibly_ handsome?"

Thomas nodded, obviously uncomfortable with the fact he was sitting with a mass murderer, who was claiming to be his father.

Joker rolled his head back, laughing, "that bastard! Not only did he try to take my wife, he took my son!"

Thomas looked at the floor, "don't call him a bastard, He's been a good dad, until lately anyway…"

Joker lifted an eyebrow, smiling, "Oh? What's been happening lately? To make him not a good dad?"

Thomas shrugged, "… He's not happy with my… umm… lifestyle choices."

Joker's face split into a wide smile, "Bisexual?"

Thomas nodded, he rubbed his arm in an attempt to hide his discomfort, "He says it's 'immoral'"

Joker leant back and crossed his arms in slight disbelief, "Wow, what a twat, I should kill him for saying things like that, as well as trying to steal my wife, and then stealing my son…"

Thomas huffed, "I can't be your son, I would never even consider doing something like that."


	11. A Couple Of Partings

"The D.N.A test proves it Thomas, Joker _is _your father."

Thomas shook his head, "I refuse to believe it, I'd never do anything as brutal as he has."

"Well you're a little tame then aren't you!" Joker shouted, chuckling, "Been domesticated! I bet you're housetrained and everything!"

Thomas frowned, then looked over at Batman, "please say it's not true…"

Batman patted the boy's shoulder; he could understand why it would be hard for him to absorb, he was still in disbelief, "Thomas this might be hard for you to take in, but it's true, I needed you to meet him as part of his rehabilitation."

Joker frowned, and wagged his finger playfully at the Bat, "don't call it that, I'm no drug head or drunkard."

Batman shook his head and shrugged, "What ever you want to call it."

Joker crossed his arms and shook his head, "It's not my fault all this shit happened. Not my fault everyone I loved died, not my fault my enemy tried to steal my wife, and then stole my son, not my fault I was pushed into a vat of acid!"

Batman frowned down at the clown, taking a few steps forward, "Joker I didn't push you. You tripped!"

Joker rolled his eyes and chuckled, "oh yeah, sure."

"What do you mean he tried to steal your wife?" Thomas mumbled, it seemed he was trying to distil the tension.

"I'm pretty sure she was having an affair with him, before she died." Joker nodded solemnly.

Thomas chuckled, "You must have been a pretty shit lover if she wanted to have _him_ on the side, him and mum have arguments all the time about how he's so shit in bed, and how he has a low sex drive. That's one of the first things that made me think I wasn't his son."

Joker smiled widely, "oh really? Well I was defiantly not a 'shit lover', and by the way I think it's hilarious that you call it that, I was so good that once the neighbours actually called the police."

Thomas chuckled, finding it hard not to find it funny that he was having this sort of conversation with the most wanted man in Gotham, "My mum wants to leave my dad, and get back together with her first husband, if she can find him. She says I'm old enough now to be able to live outside of a family setting."

Batman turned to the boy, "what do you mean 'if she can find him?' What happened to him?"

Thomas shrugged, "No idea, she won't tell me. He probably left her for some slut."

Thomas suddenly sat up straight, then pulled a vibrating phone out of his jean pocket, "Shit it's my dad, can I?"

Batman nodded, "go ahead."

The child stood and walked a few steps away, "Hey dad… Yeah I'm there now…"

Joker stood up, shouting jokily "Oi Tom! Put your dick away, you're scaring the cat!" He laughed.

Thomas held his hand up and waved it as a sign for Joker to stop. "Yeah that was Matt, bloody Joker that guy is… No I don't take it out in public, I'm not that stupid… Oh damn I forgot about that! … Ok I'll be home soon."

Thomas put the phone back in his pocket, "I've got to go home, I completely forgot, I'm going to Central City for a week to see my grandparents, I've not packed yet and we're leaving in two days."

Batman nodded, "lets get going then." He started to walk towards the bat-mobile.

Joker stood up, again holding the bars, "Does that mean I won't get to see you again for a week?"

Thomas nodded unhappily, as hard as it was for him to believe that this man was his biological father, he did find him interesting to talk to.

"No! Batman! You can't let me see my son, for the first time in his life, for what, an hour? Then take him away and not let me see him again for a whole week! You can't do that!"

Batman walked back towards the cell, "I can't just kidnap him." He said as calmly as he could.

Joker gripped the bars, frown lines carved deep into his face "You did to me! Make him stay! I'm not letting you take him, I'm not loosing my son again!" He stuck his hand through the bars in an attempt to grab the dark knight, Batman however grabbed his hand and held it in an attempt to comfort him.

"It's only for a week, I promise I'll bring him back here as soon as he comes back."

"… How do you know he will come back?" Joker sank to the floor as Batman walked with the teen towards the car.

/

Batman sat by the bars of the cell yet again; he and Joker had taken to watching TV before they bid each other goodnight.

"Do you think Thomas likes me?" Joker asked during a commercial break.

"I think so, what's not to like?" Batman smiled, these were the first words Joker'd said since Thomas went home.

Joker chuckled, "he was scared of me… I didn't want my kid to be scared of me."

Batman put his hand through the bars to hold Joker's; this small act of compassion had been awkward to begin with, however now, after almost 3 weeks of being stuck together, it had become normal practice. "I'm sure he wasn't scared, probably just shocked, it's not everyday you find out you're related to the Joker."

Joker chuckled as he lay down, turning himself so his head was pointing towards Batman, looking up at him, "I hope he wasn't too scared."

Stockholm syndrome, Bruce realised, was effecting Joker, he hadn't made very many snarky comments against Batman lately, nor had he looked at him with any malice, apart from when Thomas had had to leave.

He suddenly realised that he himself hadn't been feeling as much hatred towards Joker lately, his character or personality, the layers of the Joker had started to peel away, revealing a more sensitive, human, him that Bruce liked, he could see himself becoming friends with this new Joker.

"If he was that scared he wouldn't have talked to you at all."

Joker chuckled as he played with Batman's fingers, "yeah I guess, I don't like that he's going to be gone for a whole week though… I wish I could stop him from going…"

/

Bruce threw on his bat suit before entering the Bat-cave, he trotted down the stairs, "Joker, are you awake yet, I have some work to do."

There was no response, he must still be asleep.

But as he reach the bottom of the stairs he realised that Joker wasn't there.


	12. End of life for you

Batman sat at the CCTV screen, "I only slept for 2 hours. How the hell did he get out!" He rewound the tape and played it again.

"Sir!" Alfred yapped, pointing at the screen. He had noticed Joker fiddling with his collar, he had broken open a small hole and pulled something out.

"What is that?" Batman squinted, as he watched he realised it was a tiny piece of wire. "Wire? Why didn't my scan find that?"

Alfred shrugged, "Maybe it was coated in something?"

They watched as Joker took the tiny piece of wire and bent it, trying to hide it from the camera. They watched as, back to the camera, he did _something _with the wire, to the door, which made it swing open.

Bruce pulled off his mask and scratched his head, "Now, I have no idea what he did there. I can't figure it out there's no damage to the lock or door, no trace of him doing anything."

/

"Honey I'm home!" Joker yelled happily as he walked through the door. He was greeted by Harley's happy squeak and suddenly found her hugging him, pushing his face into her breasts as she did.

She sighed and smiled happily as he said "hey Harl, how've you been? I've missed you." And planted a tender kiss on her forehead as he broke their hug.

She took a step back and tilted her head, confused, "Are you alright Mr J?"

A massive smile appeared as he answered her, "I am better than I have ever been." He said smugly, "Can you guess why?"

She shook her head; normally these guessing games would end in her being slapped if she got the answer wrong.

"Come on girl, take a wild guess!"

She furrowed her brow, there was only one thing she could think of that would put him in this much of a good mood, "Did you kill Batman?"

Joker burst out laughing, "No, you silly girl! Why would I want to do that? If it wasn't for him I wouldn't have found out any of these things."

"Well, what did you find out then?" Harley asked, crossing her arms.

The mans smile widened, "I have a son."

Harley tilted her head again, "I thought you said he died?"

Joker shook his head, still smiling, "Nope! He's alive! And I know where he lives! Batman told me. And I've met him! His names Thomas, oh and he is just the more gorgeous human being I have ever seen."

Harley smiled, she'd never seen Joker this happy during a conversation the didn't involve a dead body, "Is he nice?"

Jokers smile dropped slightly, "a little too nice for my liking, he does things for charity!" he giggled.

"That's a little weird… What does he look like?" Harley chirped.

Joker's smile grew again, "Like me but blond with blue eyes, so so gorgeous. Do you want to come with me to get him?"

Harley, slightly confused, smiled, "What do you mean 'get him'?"

Joker laughed, "His bastard father is trying to take him away. I'm going to steal my child back from that bastard."

/

"Right here we are." Joker announced as he pulled up in the van outside the beautiful Victorian style house Batman had told him about.

"Now then pumpkin, before we go in shooting up the place; I want the kid alive! If anything happens to him I will kill you. I want to kill the Father myself; we need to have a little talk. But anyone else in the house you can have. Sound good?"

Harley nodded, happy as she and Joker hadn't been out together in a while, it was nice to get out of the house.

They clambered out of the van, and walked to the door of the house, guns in hand. Joker knocked on the door, "Polite to do so", he said.

A Woman opened the door, Harley sent a spray of bullets into her at Jokers command, the woman fell to the floor.

They went into the house; a large living room greeted them, a large, beautiful gas fireplace, white furniture set and rug, and a large flat screen TV, the place looked like a show house.

"Excuse me miss." Joker nodded as he stepped over the woman's body, not looking at her.

"Now then! Oh Stephen! I know you're here somewhere! Come out and play! Your old pal Jack's here!" Joker shouted up the stairs.

A tall man appeared at the top of the stairs, hands held high, "What do you want?"

Joker laughed, "I want my child back, you son of a bitch!" Stephen screamed as Joker let a shot out into Stephens knee. "…He's not here!" he cried.

"Why did you do it?" Joker yelled, "Why did you take my son!"

"Because I loved Jeannie…" Stephen whispered. These were his last words; hearing them Joker opened fire on the other man, blood spurting everywhere, Joker laughing.

"Don't ever say her name…" he mumbled. "Right, come on Harl, Tom's not here…"

He turned to walk towards the door, stopping to look at the woman they had killed.

Those eyes were familiar…

"…Oh no…" He whimpered, walking closer to the body.

"Oh no." Tears started appearing in his eyes, "Jeannie?" he looked closer, and chuckled, she'd dyed her hair, but it was her.

It was Jeannie.

Harley held he hand to her mouth, "Oh puddin' I'm so sorry."

Joker felt tears streaming down his face, he turned to Harley, "You killed my wife…"

"You killed Jeannie!"

Harley looked up at him, with those eyes, the ones saying, 'I didn't mean to, I didn't know; it wasn't my fault'.

Joker pulled Harley towards him, into an embrace.

"Oh Harley!" He said happily, "It's alright, what's done is done."

He lifted her hand, and slipped his other onto her hip, he slowly started dancing with her, "we can still live life. All it's wonders are still out there." She sighed with relief; she had thought he was going to end her.

He stopped and smiled sadly at her, "the sad thing is; you never know when life might end."

Her face suddenly changed, her expression transformed into one of terror, as she realised he had stopped dancing, and they were now standing in front of the roaring fire.

It only took a small push from him to put her off balance, she collapsed into the flames, as she fell Joker produced a small knife, which he drove into her side.

She screamed in pain and terror as the fire engulfed her.

Joker watched her burn, and smiled to himself.

He walked over to the woman's body, Jeannie, the woman he had loved so much, he had killed her.

He had told Harley to kill her.

It was his fault.

He sat next to her, cradling her head in his hands.

All of this was his fault.

/

Batman drove up to Thomas' family house; he had thought this would be the first place Joker would go to.

He noticed the door was open; Joker must already be there.

He rushed into the house and saw the most disturbing thing ever to greet his eyes.

Joker sitting on the floor, covered in blood and cradling a dead woman, crying.

"…Batsy… she's dead, Jeannie dead, I killed her…"

Batman carefully took the dead woman out of Jokers arms, and pulled the clown to his feet, leading him out of the house.

He couldn't help but wonder what had happened here.

.

**How can this story have had 1,519 hits since I uploaded it, and only eight reviews? How about this, if you review it, I'll give you a cookie.**

**Come on, don't you want a cookie?**


	13. Before and After

Bright lights flashed above her head. She could feel nothing but pain. The last thing she remembered was pain. She was rushed into hospital room number A113, where she died.

"No!" yelled the young police officer that had brought her in. "No she can't be dead!" The doctor preformed CPR an attempt to restart her heart, after several attempts he shook his head, "There's no response, the baby's dead too"

"Use the defibrillator! Do something!" The handsome man screamed.

"… Notify the family…" The doctor solemnly said to a nurse. "I'm sorry Stephen, the defibrillator would cause her to go into shock, she'd be a vegetable, if she came back at all, there's nothing I can do."

The black haired policeman pushed past the doctor, grabbing the paddles next to the bed, and pressed them against the woman's chest, he somehow managed to fend off the Doctor, while at the same time sending a shock through the woman's body.

This was enough to restart her heart.

/

Joker sat in the corner of his cell, as he had done for the past month.

It had been ten days since the incident with Jeannie, Bruce was getting worried; Joker hadn't said a single word, and had hardly eaten. It was as if he'd given up.

He just sat there.

/

"What?" the plump police officer said into his radio. "But I just told him she was dead."

"… I know," the voice crackled, "but she's come back, she's in a coma, the baby's been delivered, and it's fine, miracle or what?"

The police officer swore under his breath as he clambered back out of his car, and headed back to the bar where he had, not 5 minutes ago, informed Jack Napier of his wife's death.

He waddled into the bar, looking to the table the man had been sat at. He wasn't there anymore.

/

"Joker, come on, you've got to eat something." Pleaded Batman, holding a plate of food in front of the clown.

Joker looked up at him, green eyes screaming in pain, then exhaled and rolled over.

"For fucks sake Joker! The last time you ate was two days ago, and that was only a bite. I'm not leaving until you eat this."

/

Stephen sat beside Jeannie's bed, holding her hand. He turned to the doctor as he walked in to check on her.

"So doctor? Is she getting better?"

The doctor nodded, "yes, slowly and steadily, it's amazing, she may even come round soon. We would never have expected this. We've put the baby into an incubator, he'll be put into care for the time being, until we find his father, are you sure you have no idea where he might have gone?"

Stephen sighed, turning back to Jeannie, "I told you all the places I could think of, he wasn't very open about his past, I can only tell you what I know… could have killed himself for all we know."

/

"I not coming upstairs, I told you I'm not leaving until he eats something." Bruce said defiantly into the intercom, "Send Robin and Batgirl. It's only a bank robbery, nothing they haven't done before."

"Sir, I'm not sure if this is wise, you seem to be neglecting your other duties because of what's happened, it doesn't seem right."

"I can do whatever I damn well please." Bruce snapped before walking back to the living corpse Joker had become.

/

"… Jack…" The woman murmured as she opened her eyes.

"No. It's… It's Stephen, Jack's not here. Are you alright honey?"

She slowly shook her head, "I feel dead…"

Stephen chuckled, "You were for a few minutes."

Her face contorted in confusion, "… Really?" she mumbled weakly, "… how come Jack's not here?"

Stephens smile dropped, "No one's seen him in days, he thought you were dead, he disappeared."

She looked up at him, sad and confused before gasping, "Where's the baby?"

The doctor in the corner of the cramped room lifted his head from his chart, "He's still in incubation, I can bring him in if you'd like."

Jeannie smiled and nodded, trying, and failing to sit up.

The doctor left the room.

/

Batman sat in Jokers cell, the door half closed behind him.

"God, this is all my fault, Jack I'm so sorry… If I'd just been a little faster, if I'd stopped you falling, this wouldn't have happened."

Joker looked up, "…still stickin' with that story are you Bats…?" he coughed, his throat hurt from not talking for so long.

Batman leant forward, "it's true, you tripped, I didn't push you, I tried to catch you, but I wasn't fast enough."

Joker smiled, even doing that was tiring for him now, not eating had weakened him. He had retreated into himself for the past couple of weeks, and had only just started to realise how hungry he was.

He slowly pulled the plate of food towards him, and started eating.

Batman smiled, relieved as he watched Joker eat, and chuckled slightly at the noises he was making as he shovelled down the food.

/

Jeannie held the baby, she smiled and looked up at Stephen, "he's so pretty, he looks like his father… Where is Jack, have you not found him yet?" Stephen shook his head, lowering his voice so the passing nurses and doctors wouldn't hear him.

"Look at these…" he took out a press photo of the Joker, "This looks like Jack doesn't it?"

Jeannie narrowed her eyes, "Kind of, but it's a bad photo."

"I think it's him" Stephen tapped the picture, "It's too much of a coincidence, that only a few weeks after Jack disappears this maniac shows up, and this guy is out for blood! He's already killed 2 cops! And it was near your old flat… Look, I have a better one here."

He pulled out another picture and showed it to her. Her jaw dropped slightly, "Yeah it's him, it's a little distorted, but it's definitely him."

She exhaled sadly, "…Oh god Jack what's happened to you…"

She held her baby and cried.

/

"Do you feel better now? You were out of it for a while." Batman grumbled, still sitting with Joker in the cell.

"I think so… I'm not sure what happened, I was just… not here." He chuckled.

Batman sighed, "you held your dead wife's body for over half an hour. _You_ spent half an hour crying because you killed someone. You would never have done that before."

Joker hissed, "yeah, but that wasn't just some homeless guy on the street, it was my wife…" He shook his head. "She shouldn't have died…"

/

"Come on, you agreed to this, pick a name." Stephen smiled at Jeannie.

"Ok… umm… How about 'Thomas Jack Leary' for the baby, aanndd… 'Georgina Heather Leary' for me?"

Stephen smiled, "That's a lovely name. I'll sort everything out, as far as anyone knows, Jeannie died in the fire."

"So we're safe?" Jeannie asked quietly.

Stephen nodded, "Yeah, we're safe."

/

"What are you going to do now? Jeannie's dead, and you've killed Harley."

Joker shook his head, "I don't know"

Joker had become calmer since Jeannie's death, more passive. Not his usual self, more human. He had even permitted talk of his feelings about killing Harley; he'd admitted that he hadn't known what he was doing, he just remembered feeling incredibly angry.

"I think you should go to Arkham. Get treated, now that we know your background, and if you'd be willing, they could get you back to being Jack in no time." Batman smiled encouragingly.

Joker shook his head again, "I'd rather die than go back to what I was, I was a nobody, all I had was Jeannie, and she's dead."

"You have a son. You have to live for him. He's got nowhere to go. You said you wanted to be a good father, do this for him."

Joker looked up, "where is he? Is he ok?"

Batman nodded, "I found him a temporary home, and he's ok, nothing a few years of therapy cant fix."

Joker looked down at the floor, frowning, "Fine!" He said indignantly, "I'll do it. For him though, not 'coz you want me to… Just… Promise you'll visit, and promise that you won't let them mistreat me… I can't deal with that at the moment."

Batman smiled, "Of course, I'll even arrange for Thomas to visit."

Joker glanced up, and smiled gratefully. Batman smiled back, maybe this would work.

.

**_Please review to tell me what you think of this chapter / story _:)**

**(Omg Omg Omg New Doctor Who Is On In Like 5 Mins, YAY!)  
**


	14. Emotions

(This is not a _real addition_ to Aftershocks, just something I thought would be fun to write). Please review.

**.**

Batman led Joker out of his cell, the poor man; he'd become so weak. "Are you sure you want to go now? It can wait till morning."

Joker smiled and sighed, "No, I'd rather do it sooner than later."

Batman walked slowly to the Bat-mobile, half holding Joker to stop him from falling. Joker hopped in, he was out of breath from just that, "Ok, lets go… God, I'm so tired…"

Batman sat in the drivers seat, "you can sleep on the way there if you'd like."

Joker nodded in acceptance and lent to one side, putting his head against the window. Batman decided he would keep an eye on him for the first few days he was at Arkham, he was very fragile at the moment and Bruce wanted to make sure he was properly looked after. He knew Arkham could be hard on their 'clients' but it was the best place for him to be at the moment.

He looked over at the man, he'd fallen asleep almost as soon as he closed his eyes, he looked so sweet when he slept. Bruce had to keep reminding himself that this man was a murderer, he had started to like him lately, he'd got to know him as a person, not just as the monster the world knew, but as Jack. "Idiot…" Bruce said to him self. He couldn't let himself forget what Joker'd done.

"Joker! Wake up, we're here." Batman nudged Joker.

Joker yawned, "That was fast…"

Batman smiled, "well this car's fast."

He walked over to help the weak man out of the car, Joker stumbled, almost falling over completely, Batman gripped his arm, holding him steady, "Thanks Batsy."

They staggered up the stairs to Arkham, Joker fell again as a group of doctors rushed to take him. As Batman bent down to pick him up Joker grabbed him and forced their lips together, only for a second; the doctors didn't even notice.

They grabbed him and dragged him away, "Thanks Batsy!" Joker yelled, laughing.

Batman's stomach turned; had that really just happened? He felt sick, physically repulsed. He shook his head and exhaled, turning to talk to the doctor.

"Be careful with him, he's delicate at the moment, he just found out he had a family, who died." Batman said to the head doctor, handing him the diary he said; "read this, it'll explain a lot. He's been in mourning for the last ten days and has hardly eaten."

They followed Joker, who had been strapped into a straightjacket, and walked to his cell, this one was reserved for him, the one he always used and the one they always kept empty for him.

They placed him on the bed and a nurse nervously walked over to him.

"Hello lass, I've not seen you before, are you new?" Joker asked. The nurse said nothing; she had been told to not talk to the inmates. She poked and prodded him, making sure not to look him in the eyes, she looked scared. "Oh it's ok honey, don't be scared, I won't bite I promise." Joker smiled, although Bruce knew this was supposed to be a nice gesture the fact it was coming from the Joker's deformed lips made the sentance sound terrifying.

"It's ok" Batman said to the petrified nurse, "He won't do anything."

Batman turned back to the doctor, "I'd like to stay here, talk to him in private if I could? And I'll need to keep an eye on him for the next few days. Tell the warden."

The doctor nodded as the nurse shuffled over, "he seems fine sir, just a little malnourished." She mumbled before walking off.

Batman smiled, "he should be easier to work with now doctor. I used some of my own methods on him, it seems to have worked so far. Can I be left with him for a bit?"

The doctor nodded and he and the few other doctors in the room filed out.

"What was that about Joker?" Batman grumbled as the door locked behind him.

Joker shrugged half-heartedly "I was trying to be friendly… Not my fault she didn't want to talk."

Batman swallowed hard, "Not that. You kissed me."

Joker smiled sheepishly, "yeah I know… Sorry I… umm." He giggled nervously, "I've started feeling things more… Including some feelings for you, I mean I know I said before that I didn't like you like that but… You're the only constant in my life, and you've been so nice to me lately, nicer than anyone's ever been… Apart from Jeannie… It was a stupid thing to do. Uncharacteristic of me."

Batman shook his head, "No it's important for your recovery that you show your feelings, but you need to know that you know that I don't feel that way about you. I'm not gay."

"You keep saying that", Joker struggled to sit up; he was retrained by the straightjacket, "but you're the one who hangs around with young boys in shorts and tights."

"Because of what happened to me when I was young I want to help children, to make sure that they don't go through the same thing I did, like those people who grow up in care and then adopt loads of children. I'm not interested in other men."

/

Batman sat watching Joker on Arkhams CCTV, he thought back to when Joker kissed him, it had felt odd to him, he had felt sick and dizzy, it had felt horrible at the time but thinking back – it wasn't as bad as he thought it would be.

He jolted up; something he'd seen on the screen had startled him; Joker was twitching franticly, mouthing random slurred words.

Batman ran out of the room and down the hallway, he knew what the doctors would do when they saw him twitching.

"Don't give him that!" He shouted as he entered the Jokers room, as he had expected two doctors were leaning over the dreaming man, one holding a large syringe.

The doctor with the syringe stuttered, "W-What, I'm just doing what I was told to."

Batman frowned, "That bastard I told him not to give him drugs. Don't do it, it'll just make him angry. Just talk to him."

The doctor stuttered again, "W-What…?"

Batman swore and pushed the doctor out of the way, he crouched down and held Joker.

Joker kept twitching "…Jack, it's ok it's just a dream, wake up." He turned to the doctor, "He's having a nightmare, so your first thought is to put him into a deeper sleep, that'll just make the dream more vivid. How stupid are you?"

The doctor stuttered again, "I… I was just doing what I was told to…"

"Just leave." Batman snapped.

He was surprised at how much that had annoyed him, but he supposed it was mostly because he had told the doctors not to give him anything.

But he had known it would happen.

"Joker wake up!" He said angrily. He held the man, trying to stop him from flailing his arms. He shook him slightly.

Joker stirred, and opened his eyes, "Hello sweetie… Good morning."

Batman smiled, relieved, "Good morning. Bad dream?"

Joker rubbed his eyes, "yeah… God, it's good to wake up laying in your arms." He laughed jokingly.


End file.
